One More Time With Feeling
by jujubeanz
Summary: A collection of drabbles featuring random moments in the lives of Lily and the Marauders. Fun, fluffy, rainy day reading.
1. Mine to Hold

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

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Lily wrapped her hands around her mug of hot chocolate, smiling at the scene around her. It was snowing outside, but in the Gryffindor Common Room, six friends were huddled around the fire in a mess of blankets and pillows, laughing and telling stories.

She turned to look at James. One hand was holding his mug, and the other was in his mouth.

"I didn't know you bit your fingernails, Potter," Lily said in surprise.

James turned to look at her, then glanced down at his nails. "Er… yeah. I've done it since I was a little kid. You never noticed?"

Lily shook her head smiling.

"My mum's always trying to get me to stop. She thinks it's rather disgusting, actually!" James laughed. "But I just can't seem to find something to occupy my hands."

James, now mindful of Lily's watchful eyes, placed his hands in his lap. They turned back to their friends and listened as Sirius told a particularly funny story about his younger brother, Regulus.

After a few moments, Lily saw James fidgeting out of the corner of her eye. She paused for a moment, then without taking her eyes from the group, she slipped one of his hands into his.


	2. Silly Games

"James Potter, you are_ cheating_!"

"For the last bloody time, Lily, I am not cheating!"

Lily huffed indignantly, moving her knight. "You must be. I am not this horrible at chess. Your move."

"Well, Lils, sometimes you're not the best at everything," James said gently, moving his queen. "Go."

"And what the bleeding hell is that supposed to mean?" she asked through narrowed eyes. "Yours."

James sighed, ruffling his impossible hair. "Nothing, love. I didn't mean anything by it. Next."

Lily made her next move, smiling triumphantly. "Yes! Checkmate! I _told_ you I'm bloody good at chess."

James grinned, shaking his head. "Merlin, Lil! Where did that come from? I've been winning since the beginning of the match!"

"Slow and steady wins the race, love," she said smugly, sitting back in her chair as James began to put away the chess set.

"James?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you let me win?"


	3. Hint of Approval

"Aw, look Ev. It's our little nook," Sirius teased, as they walked past the spot where they got caught under the mistletoe during Fifth Year.

Lily snorted. "Such a lovely memory!"

Sirius pretended to be insulted. "Well, I'm rather fond of it!"

Lily laughed and looped her arm through his. "I'm only joking, Paddy. It was a truly magic moment for both of us, I'm sure."

"That's more like it," Sirius said. "I look back on that kiss with so much pride."

Lily looked up at him quizzically. "It wasn't _that_ great, Sirius."

He unhooked their arms and slung his arm over Lily's shoulders. "What I _mean_, Evans, is that by kissing you that one snowy evening, I beat James in his race for you. How often can a bloke say he kissed his best friend's girl before she was his best friend's girl?"

Lily laughed loudly. "It probably happens more often than you think, Padfoot."

"Maybe," he said, scratching his chin with his free hand, "but Prongs didn't kill me for it. So that must account for something."

Lily hummed in agreement and they loped down the corridor in a comfortable silence. Sirius looked down at the girl under his arm, her red hair flying behind them, a content smile on her freckly face, a diamond ring on her left ring finger.

"I'm glad it was you, Ev," Sirius said fondly.

"Sorry?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Of all the girls in the world my best friend could have been obsessed with, I'm really glad it was you."


	4. Let the Rain Fall

Sirius climbed through the portrait hole and found Remus standing at the window, his face pressed up against the glass.

"Oy Moony!" he called. "What're you doing?"

Without moving, Remus answered, "The lovebirds are outside."

Sirius crossed the room in 4 long strides. "What the bloody hell are they doing? It's raining bollocks out there!"

"I know," Remus said, snickering. "They're _dancing_."


	5. Walks Like Rain

Hey guys, thanks for all the great reviews! Good or bad, I really appreciate the feedback. Please let me know if there's something I can do to better my writing, and if there's any moment in particular you'd like to see! And sorry for the recurring rain theme... I think there's something romantic about the rain. Enjoy!

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"Was that lightning? I think that was lightning," Lily said, tugging on James's sleeve. They were sitting under a tree by the lake, enjoying a lazy afternoon.

"It looks like it's going to pour any second now," James replied. "We should probably head back inside."

Lily felt a few raindrops on her face as James pulled her up off the ground. They hadn't taken more than 5 steps from the tree when the rain came pouring down with an unforgiving force.

"Oh, _Merlin_," Lily squealed, running towards the castle.

"You're going to slip if you don't slow the hell down," James yelled, but it was too late. Lily skidded through a patch of water and fell straight into a puddle of mud. James laughed and slowed his pace until he was standing right in front of her.

"Ow," Lily moaned, her face still pressed in the ground.

"Very smooth, love," James teased, helping her up. She turned to look at him and he had to refrain from laughing. Lily was literally covered in mud, from head to toe.

"Always the gentleman," Lily said dryly. "Come on, lover boy."

James didn't move as Lily began walking towards the castle. Instead he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box. He turned the box in his hand and without hesitating he yelled, "Lily! Hold on a second!"

"What is it, James?" she sighed. "It's raining like a bloody—what the hell are you doing?" Lily cried.

She turned around to find James down on one knee, rain washing down his face, hands cradling a small black box.

"Marry me," James said, all but yelling over the storm.

Lily stood with her mouth agape, hands held out, catching the rain between her fingers. "What the… why… I'm… it's storming," she finished lamely.

James laughed, "Yes."

"And I'm… I fell in the mud," she said, pointing dumbly at the puddle.

"You did," he replied, eyes twinkling.

"And now you're… proposing?" she asked.

"I am," James yelled, smiling widely.

"This isn't exactly an opportune moment, James!" she yelled back, throwing her arms up in the air. "I'm covered in mud and the entire ocean is raining down on us right now and we have a Transfiguration exam tomorrow and…" her voice faltered, and then she straightened up, regaining her composure. "So just, pick yourself off the ground and put that ring back in your pocket and let's do this again tomorrow or some other time when I look really pretty and your glasses aren't fogged up."

James laughed, but only moved to wipe the condensation from his glasses. "Lils, I've been carrying this box around for 2 months. There are no opportune moments. I love you, and I want to marry you, whether you're covered in mud or not." He paused, and then said, "And for the record… I think you look really pretty right now."

Lily opened her mouth to respond, but no words came out. They stared at each other for a few, long moments, and then Lily opened her mouth again.

"I don't know what to say right now," she finally said.

"Say yes," James said softly, so softly she couldn't actually hear the words.

Lily nodded furiously, water and tears mixing on her dirty face. "Yes," she said, "yes, yes, of course, yes!"


	6. Me and You and You and Me

This little drabble was loosely inspired by the scene at the end of "The Rocker."

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Lily surveyed the Quidditch field, hands clasped together in joy, heart beating rapidly. Gryffindor had just won the House Cup and the crowd was wild. She decided to hang back for a moment and avoid the masses fighting to get back to the castle.

"Hey Lily!"

Lily looked up to see James hovering in front of her on his broom, a wide smile on his face, hair blown back naturally from the game.

"Hey! Brilliant game, James!" Lily exclaimed, grinning at him.

"Thanks!" James said. "So listen, I was wondering if you maybe wanted to sneak over to Hogsmeade? For a few celebratory butterbeers?"

Lily nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah," she said, "absolutely! I'll just go tell everyone else and we'll meet you at the gate?" She started to turn to find their friends.

James reached out and grabbed her hand. "Er, Lil, I was thinking maybe it could be just, um, us this time… maybe, you know, if you want?"

"Oh," Lily said, blushing. "I, um… I'd really like that," she answered, smiling shyly.

James grinned once more, squeezing her hand ever so slightly.


	7. Sleepless Nights and the Tears You Cried

Thanks for all the reviews guys! It makes super happy to see that you like what you're reading. This new one was inspired by a scene from "(500) Days of Summer." I'm unsure of it... let me know what you think!

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It was the middle of the night, and James lay in his bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. It was his first night sleeping without Lily since they graduated from Hogwarts. Sighing deeply, he grabbed his glasses off the nightstand, giving up on getting any sleep.

He thought back to the events of that evening. He and Lily had met up after work, picking up take-out on their way home, apparating together from Diagon Alley. They ate on the floor of their living room, as they still had yet to purchase any furniture. _We have no time to go shopping_, Lily always said. It was true; they spent more time at the Ministry than at home.

That night, she mused once more about how they really ought to make time to buy at least a couch. Looking back, he realized now that he should have just agreed with her, saying, _Yes, love, we really should; they boys have nowhere to sit when they come over,_ or something along those lines.

But instead he suggested she quit her job. And what a mistake that was. Now, after yelling at each other for over an hour, after blowing holes through the walls of their apartment by firing hexes back and forth, Lily furiously packed a bag and stormed out the door.

He let her go, expecting her back within the hour. She always came back; always forgave him for being a prat; always apologized for being a bitch. But not tonight. Tonight, his determined, ambitious, and headstrong wife was gone and he was all alone, unsuccessfully trying to sleep in their bed that felt too big without her.

James sat up abruptly. _Bugger it all to hell,_ he thought. _I'm going to get my wife. _He quickly swung his legs off the bed and grabbed his wand, hastily pulling a shirt over his head.

He sprinted to the door and pulled it open with such force that it nearly came off its hinges, only to stop dead in his tracks. Lily stared up at him in surprise, hands poised to unlock the door, her golden key between her delicate fingers.

James slumped with relief against the door before pulling Lily against him, murmuring apologies into her fiery red hair.


	8. The Waiting Game

Sirius paced back and forth in the St. Mungo's waiting room, a look of worry etched on his handsome face. His eyes were bloodshot and beads of sweat were forming on his brow.

"Padfoot, would you sit down?" Remus pleaded. "Fidgeting like you are isn't going to bring news any faster."

Sirius glanced at him, not stopping. "I can't. I don't know how you're so calm. Those are our best friends in there!" he yelled, pausing. "It's _Lily_," he whispered.

Remus sighed, closing his eyes, rubbing his temples. At that moment, Peter burst through the door.

"Where are they?" he cried. "What's going on? Is she okay? How long have they been in there?" His voice was full of panic.

"Come sit, Wormtail," Remus beckoned. "They've been in there for hours—"

"So many bloody hours!" Sirius moaned, running both his hands through his hair.

"—and we haven't heard anything in a long time," Remus croaked.

"Oh dear," Peter squeaked, falling into a chair beside his friend. "This is just horrible. I think I'm going to be sick."

Remus patted Peter on the back, looking ill himself. Sirius finally tired himself out, collapsing into the chair on the other side of Remus. The three Marauders sat in silence, each fighting to the urge to voice their worry, their panic, their fear.

Suddenly James burst through the double doors leading to the operating rooms, his hair messier than they'd ever seen it, an oddly emotionless look on his face. The three boys jumped up instantly, anxiously awaiting his news.

James stared at them blankly, then broke into a wide smile. "It's a boy!"

Remus, Sirius, and Peter collapsed on each other, sighing heavily, and grinned back at him.


	9. Best of the Worst

"Alright, well…" James said weakly, reaching up to scratch his head.

James and Lily stood awkwardly in front of the girls' staircase in the Gryffindor Common Room. The room was deserted except for a few stragglers, probably First Years, sleeping on the couches. The light of the fire danced on the pumpkins and other Halloween decorations strategically set up by Lily earlier that week.

"Oh, right, I guess I'll just…" Lily started, her voice trailing off. She opened her mouth to speak once more, but no words came out. Instead she turned slowly and made her way up the stairs, occasionally glancing down at James with a curious look on her face.

When she disappeared behind the door of her room, James leaned against the staircase railing and sighed heavily, running his head through his hair.

_I am a barmy, idiotic mess, _he thought to himself, walking up the boys' staircase to his own room.

"Prongs is back!" Peter squealed, as James walked through the door. "How was it?"

"Was it perfect? Did you kiss her?" Sirius asked excitedly.

"Was she falling at your feet?" Remus teased.

James fell onto his bed and groaned miserably. "No, mates, it was bloody _awful_."

Three jaws dropped open and for a moment, all was silent.

"What do you mean, it was awful?" Sirius asked, his mouth still agape.

"Do you not like her anymore?" Peter squeaked, rubbing his hands together nervously.

"No, no, that's not what I meant. She was _perfect_. She's so fucking perfect and I ruined everything," James moaned.

"What'd you do?" Remus prodded, sitting down on James's bed.

"God, what didn't I do?" James said. "First, I was late to pick her up, but in my defense, my bleeding hair looked ridiculous and I was trying to make it lay down."

"But your hair always looks ridiculous," Sirius noted. Remus shot him a warning look.

"Then," James went on, ignoring Sirius, "I couldn't think of anything remotely intelligent or clever to say while we were walking to Hogsmeade. Then I stepped on her skirt outside the Three Broomsticks and ripped the end of it off. Then I spilt butterbeer all over her! And _then_—"

"Merlin and Agrippa, Prongs," Sirius muttered.

"I _know_," James cried. "But it gets worse. When we were walking back, I was trying to tell her that I really liked the color of her hair…"

"Oh dear," Peter whispered.

"And I said, 'Your hair is so red and so dark. It looks like gushing blood.'"

Three jaws dropped once again.

"Why in the _hell_ would you ever make that kind of comparison?" Sirius asked.

"I don't know," James said sadly. "Because I'm a moron? Merlin, you should have seen her face. I wanted to sink into the ground and die."

Sirius got up and marched over to his best friend. "Get up," he said.

James looked up at him, confused. "What?"

"Get _up_," Sirius demanded. "You are going over the girls' dorm and you are going to apologize to Lily for being such a smarmy loser."

Remus looked up at Sirius. "Why is he going to do that?"

"Yeah," James said, "why bother? I ruined _everything_."

"Because," Sirius said impatiently, "I am not going to let you throw away two years of pining on one bad date. Nor am I going to listen to you complain about how you blew it. So get your stupid ass over to the girls' dorm _right now_!"

James didn't move.

"Now!" Sirius barked, and James scrambled out of bed.

"Alright, alright!" he cried. "I'm going!" James hurried out the door, down the boys' stairs, and up the girls' stairs, until he was standing before the Seventh Year girls' dorm. He gulped and wiped beads of sweat off his forehead before finally knocking on the door. No one answered for a long moment, but just as James was about to turn around and leave, the door gently swung open.

And there she was, looking gorgeous as ever in her green nightgown. Her hair (_her _blood_-red hair_, he groaned in his head) was loose and wavy around her shoulders. Her big doe eyes stared up at him, and James tried so hard to read them but found nothing.

"Er, hi," James stuttered.

"Hi," she said softly.

"I just wanted to, er, apologize," James said, stumbling over his words. "I was a hot mess tonight. I'm not usually like that. I really hope you can fix your skirt. And get the butterbeer stains out of your blouse. And if you can't, please tell me and I'll pay you back because I feel bloody awful about ruining your clothes. And I didn't mean to compare your hair to blood, I only meant that it's so red, which blood is also and for some reason that's just the first red thing that came to my mind. Ah, shit, but there I go again comparing it to blood. Fuck. Really I was just trying to tell you that I think your hair is—"

Lily stepped forward, placed her small hand on James's face, and gently kissed him on the lips.

"—really pretty," James finished softly, his head spinning.

"I had a really nice time tonight," she said, smiling ever so slightly, before slowly backing into her room and closing the door.


	10. Kissed Me 'til the Mornin' Light

Shout-outs to my latest reviewers: thanks **NeverQuitDreaming** and **BuckKitty06**; I'm really glad people are still reading!This moment was inspired by a verse from "Samson" by Regina Spektor. I don't want to post the lyrics because I don't know how strict FFnet is these days, so if you're curious just look it up :)

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"Your hair is _so_ red," James said, tugging strands of Lily's long locks, tangling his hands in it.

Lily rolled her eyes and swatted his hands away. "How astute of you, James."

"Seriously, Lil. It's incredibly, unbe_liev_ably red," James insisted, walking to Lily's dresser. He rummaged through the drawers and found one of her oversized shirts to pull over his head.

Lily got into bed and wrapped a blanket around herself. "Come to bed, love," Lily said, patting her floral sheets. "It's cold."

James whirled around and looked at her with a sad look on his face. "I thought you were going to cut my hair!" he whined.

Lily giggled. "Don't be a baby! I'll cut it here! We can just banish the mess away later."

James looked at her skeptically. "But don't you need a mirror or something?"

Lily shook her head, smiling.

"Well what about better lighting?" James asked persistently.

Lily looked at the lamp on her bedside table. The new lampshade she purchased just the other day gave the room a nice yellow glow. "I think this lighting is fine, James. Unless you're just looking for an excuse for me not to cut your—"

"It's fine," James interrupted. He ran a hand through his unruly hair. "Merlin knows I can't go another day without a haircut." He loped over to the bed and crawled under the covers with Lily.

"Accio scissors," she summoned, laughing loudly when James yelped in fear and threw himself face down on the pillows.

"Bloody hell, Lily!" James exclaimed. "You could have taken our eyes out!"

"No more talking," Lily said firmly, pulling James to an upright position. "It's hair-cutting time."

Sometime later, James held Lily as she cried into his shoulder, one hand glued in his freshly cut hair.

"Oh god, James, I am _so _sorry," she wailed, pulling back to glance up at his hair.

James laughed and cupped his hands around her face, brushing away a fresh wave of tears with his thumbs. "It's alright, Lil," he said soothingly.

"No it's not!" Lily cried. "I knew my scissors were too dull. And maybe if we weren't in bed… Oh Merlin, I did an awful job. I'm so, so, so sorry, James," she said, rubbing her already red nose.

"Are you saying I look ugly?" James teased.

"No," she sniffed, "you could never look ugly."

"To you?"

"To me. And to everyone else. But you have a botched haircut and it's all my fault," she said sadly, running a hand through his hair.

"If you don't care, then I don't care. You're the only one that matters," James said, pressing his lips against hers.


	11. Baby Talk

Hey guys, sorry I've been so absent lately. School is kicking my ass! And sorry for this ridiculous drabble; it was much cuter in my head than in manifested in my writing. I'll have a better one out soon, I promise. With love! -J

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"This, Little Harry, is me and your dad and Uncle Remus and Uncle Peter on our last day of First Year," Sirius said to the raven-haired toddler. The two were sprawled out on the Potter's couch, flipping through a scrapbook.

Harry pointed at James, his chubby finger landed square on his dad's head. "Dada!"

"Yeah, smarty pants," Sirius teased, tickling the one-year-old, "that's your dada." Harry giggled.

"And this is us at the end of Second Year," Sirius said, pointing to a picture in the top left corner of the page. "And Third Year," he said, moving his finger. "And Fourth Year," he said, pausing. "Well, you get the idea. Mrs. Potter really loved taking our picture by the Hogwarts Express," Sirius explained, flipping ahead several pages. Harry gurgled happily,

"Ah, look at this one Harry," Sirius said, ruffling his godson's hair affectionately. "It's your mum and dad arguing in the by Hagrid's place. This was Sixth Year, I think. Before they realized they loved each other, of course. I think Remus took this picture…"

"Unc'a Rem'a!" Harry exclaimed, clapping his hands together.

Sirius smiled and turned the page. "And this is your parents arguing by Hagrid's place during Seventh Year. After they started dating, ironically," he mused, chuckling. Harry imitated the low grumble.

"Oh look Harry, this one is my favorite from this album," Sirius said, pointing at a picture of James and Lily. It was taken in the Quidditch stands right before their last game of Seventh Year.

"I took this picture. This was the day your dad told us that Lily was the one," Sirius whispered in little Harry's ear.

Lily, walking through the living room with a basket of clothes in her hands, bowed her head and grinned.


End file.
